Bharat Jodo Yatra heads to Agar Malwa district in MP on its 10th day in state
Jhalara (MP) (PTI): The Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi headed for Agar Malwa, the last district in its schedule in Madhya Pradesh on the 10th day of its journey through the state.
After a night halt, the yatra resumed from Jhalara village located on the outskirts of Ujjain around 6 am.
During the walk, Gandhi was accompanied by several women Congress leaders, including former All India Mahila Congress president Shobha Oza and former MP Meenakshi Natarajan. Former Union minister Arun Yadav and former state minister Jitu Patwari also joined him.
"The theme of today's yatra is 'Walk with Women," Natarajan, former Lok Sabha member from Mandsaur, told PTI.
During the tea break, Gandhi interacted with a group of women working in different fields, including members of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and Congress workers, as part of the theme, she added.
The foot march will take a break at Sumra Khedi village around 10 am. Following the afternoon break, it will resume at 3.30 pm to reach Agar Chawni chowk in Agar Malwa district, party sources said.
The yatra participants will make an overnight stay at Kasi Bardiya village, they said.
Brigadier Pradeep Yadu (retired) and his team met Gandhi en route and demanded formation of the Ahir regiment in the Army.
The Yatra will cover a distance of 380 kms in the politically crucial Malwa-Nimar region of western Madhya Pradesh within 12 days, before entering Rajasthan on December 4, according to a programme announced by the Congress.
The march led by Gandhi entered Madhya Pradesh on November 23 from Bodarli village of Burhanpur district from neighbouring Maharashtra.
The march led by Gandhi has so far passed through Burhanpur, Khandwa, Khargone and Indore districts so far and is currently moving through Ujjain district and will reach Agar Malwa in the evening.
The yatra started on September 7 from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.
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Nine dead as massive fire breaks out in residential building in east Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): A fire ripped through a residential building in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar early Sunday, leaving nine people from two families dead, including a toddler, officials said.
The incident was reported at 3.48 am at a four-storey building in Vivek Vihar Phase-I, following which police, fire and disaster management teams rushed to the spot.
The blaze engulfed flats on the second, third and fourth floors of the building, prompting frantic rescue efforts.
With the terrace door locked, the building occupants found it difficult to escape the leaping flames.
Twelve fire tenders were pressed into service, while teams from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), traffic police and local police assisted in evacuation and rescue efforts.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
According to the Delhi Fire Service (DFS), nine charred bodies were recovered from different parts of the building. "One body was recovered from the first floor, five from the second floor and three from the staircase which was found locked," a DFS officer said.
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Those killed on the second floor were identified as Arvind Jain (60), his wife Anita Jain (58), their son Nishant Jain (35), daughter-in-law Anchal Jain (33) and grandchild Akash Jain.
On the third floor, three members of another family -- Nitin Jain (50), his wife Shailey Jain (48) and their son Samyak Jain (25) -- were found dead.
On the first floor, a woman identified as Shikha Jain (45) was found dead, while her husband Naveen Jain (48) sustained injuries.
A senior police officer said around 10 to 15 people were rescued from the building during the operation. Two persons with minor injuries were shifted to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital.
Flames had engulfed large portions of the structure, with thick plumes of smoke spreading across the locality and reducing visibility.
Fire fighters said screams could be heard from those trapped inside the building as they battled for hours to bring the blaze under control.
A firefighter involved in the operation said the intensity of the blaze was significantly higher in the rear portion of the building.
"The fire intensity was higher in the four flats at the rear as compared to the front portion. So far, we have recovered nine bodies and handed them over to Delhi Police. It is difficult to provide details at this stage. The cause of the fire is still under investigation," he said.
He said access constraints worsened the situation.
"Three bodies were found near the terrace level. The access to the roof was locked, and because of this, they could not save their lives. If it had not been locked, they might have survived," he said.
"There is a central staircase which serves as both entry and exit. The rear side gate was covered with a grille, due to which we had to cut it using tools to carry out rescue operations. We deployed five ladders from different sides and also used a turntable ladder vehicle to rescue around 15 people," the firefighter added.
Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta condoled the loss of lives in the fire tragedy, and said immediate medical assistance and relief are being provided to the affected people.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva along with Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra, local MLA Sanjay Goel, Councillor Pankaj Luthra and BJP Shahdara district president Deepak Gaba, met the bereaved families around 10 am and extended condolences to them on behalf of the ruling party.
The BJP leader said Goel reached the spot within minutes of receiving the information and helped save 18 to 20 people while monitoring the rescue operations.
While talking to reporters, Malhotra described the incident as extremely tragic.
Lauding the prompt response of the fire brigade and police personnel, Malhotra said due to their timely action, around 20 people were rescued.
