Fire at multi-storey commercial building in Mumbai; 17 suffer from suffocation
Mumbai (PTI): As many as 17 persons suffered from suffocation after a fire broke out at a 13-storey commercial building in Mumbai's Jogeshwari suburb on Thursday morning, officials said.
Nine of those who complained of suffocation were being treated at the nearby civic-run HBT Hospital, a civic official said, adding that eight others opted to be discharged against medical advice.
Thick black smoke billowed across the glass facade as the fire started at JNS Business Center near Gandhi School around 10.50 am, he said.
The blaze has been covered from all sides and dousing operations were underway, he added.
Flames spread from the 9th to 13th floor of the glass-facade building. They also spread between the 4th and 13th floors in the electric duct.
A fire brigade official said that at least 12 fire engines and other firefighting equipment have been pressed into service.
Fire brigade personnel rescued a total of 27 people including two women from various floors through the staircase and using hydraulic platform ladders, he said.
Flames were confined to electric wiring and installations, false ceilings, doors, windows, electric and AC ducts and furniture, the official informed.
Smoke filled up offices from the 11th to 13th floor, and fire brigade personnel broke the glass facade to allow ventilation, the official said.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
