Nagpur explosives factory blast: 1 more person dies; toll rises to 9
Nagpur, (PTI): The death toll in the blast at an explosives factory in Maharashtra's Nagpur district has gone up to nine with the last surviving person succumbing to his injuries, officials said on Sunday.
Pramod Chavare died of his burn injuries at a private medical facility here on Saturday night, Dande Hospital's director Dr Pinak Dande told PTI.
The blast took place at around 1 pm on Thursday at the Chamundi Explosives Pvt Ltd in Dhamna village under Hingna police station limits, around 25 km from the city.
Nine injured persons were subsequently admitted to two private hospitals in the city. While six of them died during treatment on Thursday, three others succumbed over the last two days.
The deceased included six women.
Most of the victims were working in the factory's packaging unit when the explosion took place, according to police.
The police on Friday arrested Jay Shivshankar Khemka (49), the factory's director of the factory, and manager Sagar Deshmukh. They were produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Hingna, who granted them cash bail of Rs 50,000 each on Friday.
A case has been registered against the two accused under Indian Penal Code sections 286 (negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance), 304 (a) (causing the death of any person by doing any rash or negligent act) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by doing any rash or negligent act), police earlier said.
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Former Israeli Ambassador says India supplying arms to Israel in gratitude for Kargil War support
New Delhi: Former Israeli Ambassador to India, Daniel Carmon, in an interview with Israeli publication Ynetnews, suggested that India might be supplying arms to Israel as an act of gratitude for Israel's support during the Kargil War in 1999.
Carmon’s remarks come amidst growing suspicion that India has been providing drones and artillery shells to Israel, which has been engaged in prolonged conflict in Gaza for over eight months, resulting in the deaths of around 38,000 people.
“We appreciate the support of India, a country that has suffered from terrorism and knows exactly what terrorism is and how to confront terrorism. We know and we count on the support of so many friends who are supporting us; India is a part of it,” Carmon stated in an interview with ANI.
In May, Spanish authorities barred the “Marianne Danica” cargo ship from docking at the Cartagena port on its way to Israel. The ship, which originated in Madras, India, was carrying 27 tonnes of military supplies for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the skirmishes with Hezbollah on the Lebanon border. This incident highlighted that India has been providing substantial military aid to Israel since October 7.
Ynetnews cited Indian media reports from February, revealing for the first time that India was supplying Israel with advanced Hermes 900 drones manufactured in Hyderabad. The report also mentioned that due to the scarcity of drones during the war, Israel had converted 20 of these drones exclusively for the IDF. This conversion was made possible through a collaboration between Israeli defense giant Elbit Systems and Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s consortium, marking the first factory to manufacture these drones outside Israel.
The pro-Israeli newspaper noted, “The war in Gaza put the relationship between Israel and India to a tough test, one that many allies failed to pass. During the first hours of October 7, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted his support for Israel and unequivocally condemned terrorism. Once he set the tone, his country showed unconditional support for Israel in the first few months.”
Azad Essa’s new book, "Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance Between India and Israel" (Pluto Press, 2023), offers an in-depth exploration of the evolving relationship between India and Israel, particularly in the context of Hindutva, Zionism, and the new configurations of global capital and far-right politics.
Essa writes, “On July 14, 2022, the U.S.-Israel-UAE-India grouping officially launched as the ‘I2U2’ (India, Israel, the United States, and UAE) or the ‘West Asia Quad.’ Within hours of its launch, it was reported that Haifa Port had been sold to the Indian company Adani Ports, operating on a joint bid with the Israeli company Gadot. Within days, the Indian flag was hoisted alongside the Israeli flag above the port.”
He further notes, “As it stands, Indian factories in conjunction with Israeli partners have already started producing Israeli assault rifles like the Tavor, the Negev Machine Gun, and the Uzi submachine guns; Spike anti-tank guided missiles; as well as Skystriker drones. Though still smaller than other countries, Indian arms exports doubled between 2018 and 2019.”
