Saif thanks, gives money to auto-rickshaw driver who took him to hospital post-knife attack
Mumbai, Jan 22 (PTI): Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan has met auto-rickshaw driver Bhajan Singh Rana, who rushed him to hospital after he was injured in the knife attack at his home in Mumbai in the wee hours last week, and thanked him for the timely help.
The driver told PTI that Saif also gave him some money and assured all help to him whenever needed.
Asked how much money Saif gave him, Rana declined to disclose the exact amount, maintaining the actor requested him not to share this information.
However, the driver revealed that a social worker, Faizan Ansari, separately gave him Rs 11,000.
Rana said on reaching the Lilavati Hospital in Bandra just before Saif was discharged on Tuesday evening, he met the filmstar and his family members, and touched the feet of his mother, veteran actress Sharmila Tagore, out of reverence.
The auto driver said they treated him with respect and also clicked pictures with him.
He said Khan promised to stay in touch with him.
Khan (54) was repeatedly stabbed by a Bangladeshi national inside his 12th-floor apartment in the upscale Bandra area in the wee hours of January 16 during a robbery attempt. He suffered multiple stab injuries and underwent two surgeries at the private hospital, located a few kilometres away from the actor's building.
"I met him (Saif) yesterday (Tuesday) at the hospital. He called to thank me for taking him to the hospital. He praised me. I got the blessings from him and his family," the auto-rickshaw driver said.
"He (Khan) introduced me to his mother (Sharmila Tagore), and I touched her feet. He gave me (money) whatever he felt was right, and said whenever I need help he will be there," Rana said.
The intruder, Shareeful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir (30), who illegally entered India last year and changed his name to Vijay Das, was arrested on Sunday from adjoining Thane city.
A preliminary investigation suggests the accused, currently in police custody, had entered the actor's home intending to commit theft, police said.
Meanwhile, police officials said on Wednesday that multiple departments under the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) at Kalina will examine key pieces of evidence seized during the investigation of the stabbing case.
A variety of materials, including mobile phones, clothes of the accused, and CCTV footage seized following the arrest of Fakir have been sent to the FSL for examination.
FSL departments such as Tape Authentication and Speaker Identification (TASI), Biology, DNA, Footprints, Physics, Cyber, and others will be involved in analysing the evidence, a police official said.
He said police didn't notice blood stains on the clothes of the accused seized from his bag when he was arrested from Thane.
The official said investigators are facing difficulty in interrogating Fakir due to the language barrier as he speaks Hindi with a heavy Bangladeshi accent. He has been asked to speak slowly so that police could decipher his statements.
Police on Tuesday reconstructed the sequence of events of the crime that unfolded at Khan's building, 'Satguru Sharan'. The accused was taken to a nearby building briefly during the recreation of the crime scene, the official added.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam commented on the “quick recovery” of the Bollywood actor.
“The doctors at Lilavati Hospital said the knife had penetrated 2.5 inches inside Saif Ali Khan's back and his surgery went on for six hours. They should tell us if a person who underwent a six-hour long operation can recover so quickly,” Nirupam asked.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut also spoke of the actor’s speedy recovery.
“The knife was wedged deep, but Saif walked out alive from the hospital. This is nothing short of a miracle by the doctors,” Raut said.
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Chhattisgarh: 18 school students hospitalised; locals blame nearby cement plants
Balodabazar (Chhattisgarh), Jan 22 (PTI): At least 18 students of a government school were hospitalised on Wednesday after they complained of uneasiness in Chhattisgarh’s Balodabazar-Bhatapara district, with locals blaming nearby cement plants for causing pollution, officials said.
While officials said the exact reason behind the situation was yet to be ascertained, the authorities shut down the Alternate Fuel Resources (AFR) centre at one cement plant in the area over the alleged violation of green norms. The company said it has launched an internal probe.
At least 18 students of Government Higher Secondary Girls School at Khapradih village complained of uneasiness and drowsiness following which they were shifted to the Community Health Centre in nearby Suhela, Balodabazar-Bhatapara Collector Dipak Soni told PTI.
Later, six of them were referred to different facilities, including the district hospital, he said.
Their condition was reported to be stable, he said.
Complaints were received about pollution at AFR centre of Shree Cement plant located near the school following which an inspection was carried out on the factory premises, the official said.
Prima facie, violation of anti-pollution norms was found in its operation, which involved the use of chemicals for decomposition of materials for producing fuel, the official said.
A foul smell emanating from the AFR area might have caused uneasiness among students, he said.
Officials from the Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board and the Industrial Health and Safety and Labour Department have launched an investigation in the area to ascertain the exact cause behind the incident, he added.
Meanwhile, former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel claimed the students fell ill after gas leakage from two factories located near the school.
“Honourable Chief Minister ji! If you have woken up from slumber, take care of the fainting school children. Very frightening news is coming from Balodabazar. The scene is so horrifying that I cannot share it here, Baghel said in a post on X, tagging CM Vishnu Deo Sai and the CM's office.
“Due to gas leakage near Khapradih School in Suhela, the health of more than 40 children has suddenly deteriorated. Some children have fainted and some have been facing trouble in breathing. The condition of two children was critical. The rest of the children have been admitted to the hospital,” he claimed.
Students have been falling ill in the school for three consecutive days and the locals have repeatedly complained to the administration, which he said is “asleep”.
“The villagers say two big (cement) plants near the school are causing the pollution. Gas leakage is causing adverse effects on children. The smoke, chemicals and pollutants from the plants are polluting the air and affecting the children's health,” he alleged.
The management of Shree Cement said it has launched an internal probe into the matter and that it was committed to the health and well-being of nearby residents, workmen and their families.
“Shree Cement is deeply concerned about the health and well-being of the students who require medical attention and assures full support in providing necessary medical facilities. We are committed to the health and well-being of the community and take such matters with the utmost seriousness,” the plant management said in a statement.
The company strictly adheres to all statutory approvals and environmental norms, and as part of its sustainability efforts, it co-processes hazardous waste from nearby plants as an alternative fuel, “ensuring its safe disposal and preventing harm to the environment”, the statement said.
“We are also investigating this matter internally, and assure you that the health of the nearby residents, our workmen and their families remain our highest priority, and we are committed to taking all necessary actions to uphold this responsibility,” it added.
माननीय मुख्यमंत्री जी! नींद से जाग गए हों तो बेहोश होते स्कूल के बच्चों की सुध ले लीजिए. @vishnudsai @ChhattisgarhCMO
— Bhupesh Baghel (@bhupeshbaghel) January 22, 2025
बलौदाबाजार से बेहद भयावह खबर सामने आ रही है.
दृश्य इतने भयावाह है कि मैं यहाँ साझा नहीं कर सकता.
सुहेला स्थित खपराडीह स्कूल के पास गैस के रिसाव से 40 से अधिक…
🚨भयावह दृश्य
— Ayush Pandey🇮🇳 (@ayushconnects) January 22, 2025
छत्तीसगढ़ के बलौदाबाज़ार में सुहेला स्थित खपराहडीह स्कूल में बच्चे बेहोश
🔺2 की हालत गम्भीर, लगभग 40 अस्पताल में
🔺कुछ बेहोश, साँस दिक्कत
🔺स्कूल के पास संयंत्र से गैस रिसाव की खबर
🔺लगातार तीन दिन से हो रहे थे बच्चे बेहोश, शिकायत पर भी नहीं जागा प्रशासन pic.twitter.com/ImJMZooIgx
