Blast in cracker godown in Madhya Pradesh: 4 dead; 7 injured
Bhopal/Morena (MP) (PTI): Four persons, including a mother-daughter duo, were killed and six others injured after a house, where firecrackers were stored by a tenant, came crashing down following a powerful blast in Banmore town of Madhya Pradesh's Morena district on Thursday, police officials said.
The impact of the blast was so severe that the ground-plus-one-storey structure was reduced to rubble, while two nearby houses were also damaged.
The tenant's wife, their eight-year-old daughter and two more persons, including a seven-year-old boy, died in the explosion that occurred around 11 am, they said.
Although the blast prima facie occurred due to firecrackers, the exact cause was being investigated, the officials said.
"Four persons were killed and six others injured in the blast," Inspector General of Police (IG) - Chambal Range - Rajesh Chawla said.
The house belonged to one Rakesh Gurjar, who had rented it out to another person, Jameel Khan, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra told reporters in Bhopal.
An FIR (first information report) was registered in the case, Mishra said, adding Khan was taken into custody and police were trying to trace those from whom he had procured gunpowder for making firecrackers.
Four policemen were suspended for negligence, Mishra said, adding a probe will also be conducted against the sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) and the Banmore police station in-charge for alleged dereliction of duty.
Directives have been issued to police in the state to ensure such incidents do not recur in their jurisdiction, the minister said.
Earlier, Banmore police station in-charge Biresh Kushwaha said the house belonged to a man named Nirmal Chand Jain.
But senior cops later clarified that Jain was also a tenant and was running a grocery shop from the premises.
The first floor of the house was given on rent to Jameel Khan, who resided there with his family. He had stored a large quantity of firecrackers in the house without permission, another official said.
"Around 11 am, a blast took place there. Its intensity was so severe that the entire structure collapsed and a few people got trapped under the debris," he said.
The deceased were identified as Jameel Khan's wife Anno Khan (35), their minor daughter Zoya, seven-year-old boy Golu alias Vijay Prajapati and Pappu Gurjar (45), IG Chawla said.
Khan's son Mehmood (18) was injured in the incident.
Chawla clarified that Mehmood survived the blast although some other officials had earlier said that he succumbed to his injuries.
Morena Superintendent of Police Anurag Bagri had said three members of a family were killed in the incident, which led to the confusion.
Jameel Khan survived as he jumped off the terrace immediately after the blast, police said. Of the six injured, two were taken to Gwalior after being given preliminary treatment at a local hospital, while the rest are being treated in Banmore, the IG said.
Morena SP Bagri told PTI that the cause of the blast was not yet clear.
The quantity of crackers was not much, Bagri said, adding it cannot be said with certainty that the blast took place because of gunpowder or due to a cylinder blast.
"Prima facie, the blast took place because of crackers, but the exact cause will be known only after the fire department and forensic experts submit their reports," IG Chawla said.
Madhya Pradesh Congress president and former chief minister Kamal Nath demanded a thorough probe into the blast and urged the government to take necessary steps for prevention of such incidents in view of the coming Diwali festival.
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Money-dispute angle emerges in Delhi bus gangrape case
New Delhi (PTI): Police probing the alleged gangrape of a 30-year-old woman inside a private sleeper bus in Outer Delhi have found that there was a dispute over money between the victim and the accused, sources said on Friday.
The woman was allegedly dragged inside the bus and raped by the driver and the conductor in the Mangolpuri area here on May 11. Both the accused were arrested the following day.
According to the police sources, the woman, in her complaint, has stated that there was a dispute over money with the accused.
The sources also said that one of the accused did not flee the spot after the incident and the victim later used his mobile phone to call police.
The woman has also told police that her husband is suffering from a medical condition and is unable to work. The couple have four children and she has been working to support the family, the sources said.
Police are probing the case from all angles and have already seized the bus. CCTV footage from the route taken by the vehicle on the day of the incident is also being examined.
The case was registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) dealing with rape and gangrape, police said.
