Bus with students returning from picnic overturns in Raigad district; 2 killed, 47 hurt
Mumbai, (PTI): Two students were killed and 47 others injured on Sunday night when their bus overturned in a hilly section near Khopoli town in Raigad district of Maharashtra while they were returning from a picnic in Lonavala, police said.
Prima facie, the driver of the bus lost control of the wheel due to the failure of the brakes. The incident occurred near Magic Point hill on the old Mumbai-Pune highway around 8 pm, about 14 km from Lonavala hill station, an official said.
At least 49 students of a coaching class from suburban Chembur in Mumbai were travelling in the private bus, he said, adding they all are students of class 10.
"While returning from a picnic in Lonavala (located in Pune district), the driver of the bus lost his control over the vehicle in the ghat (hilly road) terrain near Khopoli due to the failure of brakes," the official said.
All the students and the driver sustained injuries in the accident, he said, adding they were rushed to hospitals in Lonavala and Khopoli.
Two students aged 17 and 16, who were seriously injured, were declared dead during treatment, the official said.
The deceased are identified as Hitika Khanna, a resident of Chembur camp, and Raj Rajesh Mhatre (16), a resident of Asalfa village in suburban Ghatkopar.
The process to register an FIR was on, the official added.
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Bengal: Hundreds stage protest over 'threats' by TMC workers
Kolkata (PTI): Demanding safety after counting of votes, hundreds of villagers staged a protest in Falta in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Saturday, alleging they were receiving life threats from TMC workers in the area.
The protesters, many of them women and holding BJP flags, blocked the road in Hasimnagar village, alleging that local panchayat pradhan Israfil, a close associate of TMC candidate Jehangir Khan, issued them threats of attacks after poll results are announced.
The CRPF deputy commandant visited the area with a large force and assured the demonstrators of ensuring their safety.
Khan dismissed the allegations and said the women were "deployed" by the BJP to stage the demonstration and engineer the arrest of TMC functionaries in the area before the counting to "harm the morale of the TMC supporters".
"If the charges are proved, I am ready to face the law," he said.
Fatima Bibi, one of the protesters belonging to the BJP's Mahila Morcha, claimed Israfil and his men "have been visiting the area since April 30 and threatening us that there would be bloodshed from May 5. We demand CRPF remain in the area".
The CRPF official said, "We are here to instill confidence among the people with support of the local police, We have assured them of full security."
An Election Commission official said a report has been sought about the protests from the district administration.
