17 killed in Bangladesh fire tragedy; rescue operations on
Dhaka, Mar 28: At least 17 people, including a Sri Lankan national, were killed and over 50 injured when a massive fire engulfed 22-storey building in Dhaka's posh Banani area on Thursday, in the latest blaze to hit the Bangladeshi capital.
The incident, which happened on Thursday afternoon in a building that houses several garment shops and internet service providers, left several people trapped inside as the blaze spread to two adjacent buildings.
Until now we can tell you that the inferno killed 17 people, one of them being a Sri Lankan national, Farman Ali, an officer-in-charge of Banani police station, told reporters.
At least six of the killed, including the Sri Lankan national, died after they jumped off from various floors of the high-rise building for safety.
"A Sri Lankan citizen identified as Niras Chandra, was declared dead at Kurmitola General Hospital. He fell off the building while trying to escape the fire," Kazi Shahan Haque, officer-in-charge (OC) of Cantonment police station, was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune.
Another person, who was yet to be identified by the authorities, was declared dead at Kurmitola General Hospital after he fell off the building while trying to escape the fire.
"Similarly, three more male victims were declared dead on arrival by the doctors of United Hospital," officials were quoted as saying.
A 35-year-old student at Dhaka University died due to the effects of the blaze.
A woman identified as Amina Yeasmin died of her injuries at Apollo Hospital.
Several other injured people were rushed to the nearby hospitals.
"Over 30 people are being treated at different government and private health facilities, some of them with critical wounds caused by the blaze in the building," officials said.
Apart from 21 fire tenders, Bangladesh Air Force helicopters and Navy commandos teamed together to douse the blaze.
The fire is now extinguished, a fire service official told reporters.
Fire officials said the blaze erupted on the eighth floor of the building and gradually went upward engulfing ninth, 10th and 11th floors, but could not immediately say what sparked the inferno.
Five military and air force helicopters were deployed to drop water on the blaze as flames and thick black smoke poured out of the windows.
Firefighters broke open the building's glass walls to free toxic gas while over a dozen were rescued or they managed to get themselves out from the burning building.
A 20-member military team has entered the building with necessary equipment to salvage the trapped people, a military officer at the spot said.
Last month at least 70 people were killed and over 50 injured when a fast-moving fire swept through an apartment buildings and chemical warehouses in Dhaka's congested Chawkbazar area.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
