Fire Scare at Rahul Gandhi’s MP Roadshow as Helium Balloons Explode
Madhya Pradesh, Oct 07: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi escaped unhurt after helium balloons used to welcome him exploded at his rally in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur district on Saturday.
The incident reportedly occurred when Gandhi’s convoy was passing through a road where scores of supporters had queued to welcome him with ‘aarthi thalis’. The balloons came in contact with a few lamps and caught fire, causing an explosion.
In a video of the accident, the Congress President can be seen greeting supporters from a vehicle when the celebratory balloons suddenly burst into flames. After the explosion, Gandhi and supporters in the crowd looked shaken and clamoured for safety.
Jabalpur Superintendent of Police Amit Singh on Sunday confirmed the incident but denied any lapse in security. "There would have been lapse if the incident had occurred inside the security ring, but it occurred around 15-feet away. Nobody was injured in the incident, though there was a flame due to helium (gas) in the balloon," Singh told PTI.
He added that a Congress block president, identified as Kaudi Lal Rai, wanted to greet Gandhi. Some party workers were standing beside him holding balloons. “The balloons came into contact with the lamp and a huge flame went up," the police officer was quoted as saying by PTI.
Replying to a question about how helium filled balloons were allowed at Gandhi's rally, an SPG-protectee, Singh said that the Blue Book (security guidelines) doesn't state that such balloons or the 'aarti' plate are not allowed. "One can obviously be startled, if a balloon bursts near one even in a birthday party," he said.
on Saturday started his 8-kilometre road show in MP’s Jabalpur district after paying obeisance to the Narmada River, with hundreds of posters dotting the route terming him a "Narmada bhakt".
Courtesy: www.news18.com
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
