Four die of suffocation inside British-era drainage chamber
Pune (PTI): Four people died due to suffocation inside a British-era drainage chamber in Baramati tehsil of Pune district on Wednesday, police said.
Dung and urine of cattle was released in the chamber located on the farm of Bhanudas Atole, one of the deceased persons, said an official of Malegaon police station.
"The chamber was full and the deceased were cleaning it. Some trash got stuck in the motor pump in the chamber, so Pravin Atole ventured inside to remove it. But he fainted due to suffocation," the official said.
After him, his father Bhanudas Atole, Prakash Sopan Atole and Babasaheb Gavahne entered the chamber one by one and all of them passed out and fell in the water accumulated inside, he said.
All four were fished out from the chamber and rushed to a hospital where they were declared dead, the police official said, adding that further probe was on.
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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.
