UP: Death toll in cold storage roof collapse rises to 8, CM sets up probe panel
Sambhal/Lucknow (PTI): As the death toll in a roof-collapse incident at a cold storage in Sambhal climbed to eight on Friday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh each for the deceased and formed a committee to probe the reasons behind it.
Eight people have so far died in Thursday's roof-collapse incident at the cold storage chamber located on the Indira Nagar road within the Chandausi police station limits, Deputy Inspector General of Police Shalabh Mathur said.
According to a government spokesperson in Lucknow, the chief minister has announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased, Rs 50,000 for those critically injured and free treatment for all those who sustained injuries in the incident.
Adityanath has also constituted a probe committee led by the police commissioner and the DIG, Moradabad to probe the reasons behind the roof collapse. The committee has been asked to submit its report at the earliest, the spokesperson said.
The chief minister has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident and directed the officials concerned to ensure proper treatment of the injured, he added.
Sambhal District Magistrate Manish Bansal said 17 people have been rescued, of whom five are undergoing treatment in a Moradabad hospital while six were discharged after medical aid.
The rescue operations, in which the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are also involved, continued through the night and are still on, he said.
Searchlights have been installed in the area for the rescue operation in which JCB machines are also being used to remove the debris.
According to police, the collapsed roof was built only three months ago without the necessary permission from the administration and the quantity of potatoes stored at the cold storage was beyond its prescribed capacity.
Mathur told reporters late on Thursday night that rescuers were taking precautions as ammonia gas cylinders were kept in the cold storage.
"A case under section 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been lodged against Ankur Agarwal and Rohit Agarwal, the owners of the cold storage," the DIG had said.
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Allahabad HC orders probe into 'reinstatement' of teacher in UP's Barabanki
Lucknow (PTI): The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday ordered a probe by the special task force (STF) into alleged irregularities in the rejoining of a teacher at City Intermediate College in Barabanki, observing that the reinstatement appeared to be prima facie illegal.
The court also directed the recovery of the salary paid to the teacher during the disputed period.
A bench of Justice Rajeev Singh passed the order on a petition filed by the college management committee. The court expressed doubts over the roles of the District Inspector of Schools (DIOS), Barabanki, the college principal and the teacher concerned and hence, directed a detailed inquiry into the matter.
Taking note of alleged manipulation of records and misleading submissions, the court ordered the immediate transfer of the Barabanki DIOS to ensure a fair probe. It also directed the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against the then joint director of education of the Ayodhya division.
In its order, the court found that the teacher, Abhay Kumar, was initially appointed as an assistant teacher in 2018 but joined an Eklavya Model Residential School in Chhattisgarh as a lecturer in June 2024 without obtaining permission from the management. His subsequent request to retain the lien was rejected.
Despite this, he was allowed to rejoin the Barabanki College in September 2025 on the directions of the joint director of education and the DIOS, and was even paid the salary for October 2025. The court termed the rejoining "wholly illegal" and lacking any legal basis.
The bench also expressed concern over lapses in communication within the education department and directed the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary to ensure that official orders are communicated through email and WhatsApp as well, to prevent disputes.
The matter is next listed for hearing on May 28 when a compliance report is sought.
