Over a dozen workers injured in blast at Ordnance Factory in MP; 1 missing
Jabalpur (PTI): More than a dozen workers were injured in a powerful blast at the Ordnance Factory Khamaria in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district on Tuesday morning, an official said.
The blast took place at around 9.45 am when explosive material was being filled in bombs in a refilling section of the factory, the official from the establishment said.
Among the injured persons, two were in a serious condition and admitted to a hospital. Another worker was missing and was possibly trapped under the debris of the section in which the blast took place, he said.
The blast was so powerful that it was even heard by people a few kilometres away, as per eyewitnesses.
The Ordnance Factory Khamaria is one of the major ammunition production unit under the Department of Defence Production.
More than a dozen workers received injuries in the blast and efforts were on to locate a missing worker, who was possibly trapped under the debris of the building, the official said.
A probe has been ordered into the incident and the exact cause behind the blast will be known after completion of the investigation, he said.
Fire brigade and security staff of the factory launched a relief and rescue operation, the official added.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
