8 dead in fire at 2 warehouses in Bengal’s South 24 Parganas; flames still rage, rescue ops underway
Kolkata (PTI): A massive fire at two adjoining warehouses in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, which killed at least eight people, is yet to be fully doused over 24 hours later, officials said on Tuesday.
Several workers are feared trapped in the twin units located in Najirabad area on the outskirts of Kolkata, as fire tenders stationed at the site try to put out the blaze that erupted around 3 am on Monday, they said.
Twelve fire tenders were pressed into service, and the blaze was brought largely under control after nearly seven hours, though pockets of fire continued to smoulder in several parts of the gutted structures, an official said.
“Several charred bodies and skeletal remains have been recovered since Monday night, though the fire is still raging in pockets, raising fears that the toll may rise further,” he said.
All those dead or missing are from Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur and South 24 Parganas districts, the official said.
Fire department sources said DNA samples will be collected from family members to identify the bodies and skeletal remains recovered from the site.
The cause of the blaze and the extent of damage are yet to be ascertained.
During a rescue operation around 5 pm on Monday, three severely charred bodies were recovered from the adjoining godowns, while five more bodies were found later, taking the death toll to eight.
Baruipur SP Shubhendu Kumar had earlier said the identities of the deceased could not be ascertained, as the bodies were charred beyond recognition.
Initially, six people were reported missing, but families of those feared trapped said the number could be more than 10, he said.
West Bengal Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose had on Monday evening said that rescue operations were continuing and teams working to douse lingering pockets of fire across different floors of the gutted structures.
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Tweets by journalist Rana Ayyub derogatory, communal: Delhi HC
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New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday termed certain tweets by journalist Rana Ayyub "highly derogatory, inflammatory and communal" as it sought her stand on a petition seeking removal of the allegedly objectionable content from social media.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, who was hearing a lawyer's petition alleging that Ayyub's tweets insulted Hindu Deities and "revered historical figures", observed that even an FIR was also directed to be registered against her in relation to the tweets and called upon the Centre, Delhi Police and X to "work in tandem" and "do the needful in 24 hours".
"Let the matter be called day after. Action is necessary in view of the highly derogatory, inflammatory and communal tweets by respondent no. 4 (Ayyub), pursuant to which FIR has also been directed against respondent no. 4 by a court of competent jurisdiction," the court ordered.
Observing that the "matter requires consideration", the court issued notice to the Centre, Ayyub as well as X on the petition seeking the immediate removal of the "highly derogatory, inflammatory, and communal tweets" by Ayyub.
The court also made Delhi Police a party to the case.
Petitioner Amita Sachdeva said she is a devout follower of the Sanatan Dharm, and on her complaint, a magisterial court had already directed the registration of an FIR while holding that the journalist's tweets prima facie disclose cognisable offences under the Indian Penal Code.
The plea said the petitioner approached X's resident grievance officer as well as the Grievance Appellate Committee for the removal of the content.
However, the committee declined to grant relief, stating the matter was sub-judice, it added.
The petitioner said the continued public availability of the tweets has caused continuing and direct injury to her religious sentiments and violated her fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 21 (Right to life and liberty) and 25 (Freedom of religion) of the Constitution.
In January 2025, a magisterial court directed Delhi Police to register an FIR against Ayyub for allegedly making derogatory posts in 2016-17 that included "insults to Hindu deities, spreading of anti-India sentiment and incitement of religious disharmony."
In an order dated January 25, 2025, it said, "From the facts of the case, prima facie cognisable offences are made out under sections 153 A (punishment for promoting enmity between different groups on the ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc), 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 505 (statements conducing public mischief) of the IPC."
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