One dead, 15 injured in Mumbai building collapse
Mumbai(PTI): A 40-year-old man died and 15 others were injured after a three-storey residential building collapsed in suburban Bandra on Thursday, a civic official said.
A rescue operation is underway to search for three to four persons believed to be under the rubble, he said.
The ground plus two storey structure in Maharashtra Nagar locality near the Western Express Highway collapsed around 12.30 am, the official said.
Personnel of the fire brigade, police and ward staff of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation rushed to the spot after learning about the incident.
The injured are being treated at the nearby Bhabha hospital, the official said.
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Karnataka Assembly passes hate speech bill amid din
Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 18 (PTI): The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed a bill against hate speech amid a din.
The Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, the first such law in the country, has a provision for a jail term up to seven years and fine up to Rs one lakh.
It was passed amid din by the BJP MLAs.
The bill, cleared by the cabinet on December 4, was presented in the House by Home Minister G Parameshwara on December 10.
The Minister said the provision for 10 years jail term in the event of repeated offence has been reduced to seven years.
According to the bill, any expression, which is made, published or circulated in words either spoken or written or by signs or by visible representations or through electronic communication or otherwise, in public view, with an intention to cause injury, disharmony or feelings of enmity or hatred or ill-will against person alive or dead, class or group of persons or community, to meet any prejudicial interest, is hate speech.
During the discussion, Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh said coastal Karnataka is "burning" due to hate speech and hate crime.
BJP MLAs from the region raised objections to this and then trooped into the well of the house. Other BJP legislators followed them.
Later, the bill was passed.
