Ex-member of Congress legal team dies by suicide in Surat
Surat: (PTI): A lawyer from Surat, who had been part of the Congress' legal team that represented MP Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case, allegedly died by suicide by jumping into a river here, police said on Monday.
Lawyer Firoz Pathan, who was suffering from depression, allegedly took the extreme step on September 4, said Dharmesh Patel, inspector of Maroli police station in neighbouring Navsari district where the body was found.
He ended his life after making a call to his junior, as per sources.
Pathan had been a member of the Congress' legal team that represented Gandhi in a defamation case registered against him in Surat following a complaint by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi, they said.
"According to his family members, Pathan was battling depression," Patel said.
The lawyer allegedly jumped off a bridge into the Tapi river on September 4. He did not leave behind any suicide note, but made a call to his junior before taking the extreme step, according to sources.
The local fire department team later launched a search operation but the strong river current made it hard to trace him.
The body was later found after it got washed ashore the Ubharat beach in Navsari district, the police official said.
A case of accidental death was registered on September 5 and a probe was on into it, the police added.
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Road crash in UP leaves 10 dead
Lakhimpur Kheri (UP) (PTI): Ten people were killed when a van collided head-on with a truck on the Sisaiya-Lakhimpur national highway on Monday, police said.
The van was going to Sisaiya from Lakhimpur when the accident took place between Unchgaon and Bharehta villages.
Circle Officer of Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh, said all nine passengers travelling in the van and the driver were killed.
District Magistrate of Lakhimpur Kheri Anjani Kumar Singh told reporters that the van collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction, leading to nine casualties on the spot, while one succumbed to injuries at the district hospital.
Circle Officer, Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh told PTI, "Efforts are on to establish the identity of other deceased persons."
The seven of the deceased have been identified as Jaideep Singh (25), Pawan (23), Sohan (21), Ram Goyal (42), Sahajram (35), Pappu (18), all residents of Bahraich district and Adnan Khan (15), a resident of Lakhimpur Kheri district, police said.
Condoling the loss of lives in the accident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a post on X, said, "The loss of life in the unfortunate road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply distressing and heart-wrenching. My condolences are with the bereaved families."
"I have directed the local administration to provide prompt and adequate assistance to the injured and the victims. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant the departed souls a place at His divine feet and to bestow a speedy recovery upon the injured," Adityanath said on X.
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak too condoled the loss of lives in the accident.
"The loss of lives resulting from the road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply tragic and heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences go out to the bereaved families," Maurya said.
