Shimla, July 23 : At least five persons, including three women, of a wedding party were charred to death when a house caught fire near Mandi town in Himachal Pradesh early on Monday, police said.

The incident took place at Ner Chowk around 5 a.m. when the occupants of the house were asleep. The deceased were identified as Narender Soni and Veena Soni, Sudesh, Mona,40, and her eight-year-old son Sai Sohel.

Prima facie the cause of fire is believed to be a short-circuit, Superintendent of Police Gurdev Chand Sharma said. The deaths were reportedly due to suffocation.

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Mumbai (PTI): The gunning down of Badlapur case accused Akshay Shinde on Monday was the "killing of justice", said Asim Sarode, lawyer for the two minor girls he allegedly sexually assaulted.

Shinde was killed near Mumbra Bypass around 6:15pm when he allegedly snatched the gun of a policeman while he was being ferried in a police vehicle as part of a probe into a case registered on the complaint of his former wife.

After he shot and injured an API, another personnel from the escort team fired at him, and he was declared dead by doctors at a nearby hospital.

"While representing the two minor girls, I noticed it was becoming uncomfortable for the local politics of the Thane district and even for the educational institution where Akshay Shinde was working. Shinde's death in such a manner is killing of justice," Sarode told a regional news channel.

"Now, the case of sexual assault of the two minor girls will get sidelined. The case of these two minor girls was becoming difficult for the educational institute, as it is affiliated with a certain political family. Such a practice would lower the confidence of people in police and the judiciary," he claimed.

Sarode said he will be filing a plea before the Bombay High Court demanding thorough inquiry into the firing incident.

"Shinde's case could have brought up certain aspects that would have been negative politically for the government. I wonder how Shinde could access the gun and how he could unlock it when his hands were tied. This is political murder and is absolutely wrong," he said.