Taxi driver's death at Delhi Airport leaves family in financial crisis
New Delhi: Heavy rains caused the roof of Delhi Airport's Terminal 1 to collapse on Saturday night, resulting in the tragic death of a 45-year-old taxi driver, Ramesh Kumar. Ramesh, a resident of Vijay Vihar in Rohini, Delhi, was rescued from a car struck by a fallen iron beam but was declared dead upon arrival at Medanta Hospital.
Ramesh's death has left his family devastated. He was the sole breadwinner for his family, which includes two sons and two daughters. His son, Ravindra, expressed deep concern about how the family will cope without his father's support, especially with two upcoming weddings.
"We received a call at 8:30 am informing us that our father had fainted at the airport and was taken to the hospital. They didn't tell us about the tragedy," Ravindra recounted. "When we arrived at the airport, the cops took us to a police station and kept us there until 4 pm. Only later did they take us to the hospital, where we learned he had died. We had to wait 2-3 hours before being told to come back the next day to collect the body after the post-mortem."
The family's grief has been compounded by the fact that Ramesh's daughters' weddings are upcoming, and they are now worried about how they will manage the expenses.
The family is now demanding a judicial inquiry into the incident and seeking adequate compensation from the government to manage the financial burden of the upcoming weddings and other expenses.
The incident occurred around 5 am at the busy Terminal 1 of the airport. The heavy rains led to the collapse of the massive canopy covering the departure area, trapping several people underneath. The fallen roof sheet and support beams also pinned down parked cars.
Videos circulating on social media showed accumulated water and visible cracks and leaks on the shed, highlighting the poor condition of the structure.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
NIA court to complete framing of charges against 2010 hand-chopping case accused on May 15
Kochi (PTI): A special court here will complete proceedings for framing charges against the prime accused in the 2010 hand-chopping case involving professor T J Joseph, in which PFI activists were accused of attacking him at Muvattupuzha.
Ernakulam Special Court for NIA cases judge P K Mohandas, on April 30, heard the arguments of counsel for accused Savad and Shafeer C and decided to proceed with framing charges against the duo.
A group chopped off Thodupuzha Newman College professor Joseph's right hand in July 2010, accusing him of religious blasphemy in a question paper he had prepared.
The case, later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), resulted in the conviction of 19 accused.
The first accused, Savad, who allegedly chopped off Joseph’s palm, was arrested in Berram in Mattannur, Kannur, in January 2024, where he had allegedly been hiding under the pseudonym Shajahan.
The NIA also arrested Shafeer, who allegedly arranged shelter and provided logistical support to Savad at Chakkad and Mattannur in Kannur since 2020.
On April 30, the court heard the counsel for the accused and the NIA prosecutor on framing charges against the duo.
"On going through the documents and evidence in the case and on hearing the counsel for the accused and the prosecutor, I am of the opinion that there are grounds for presuming that the first accused has committed offences punishable under provisions of the IPC, the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and that the second accused has committed offences punishable under the IPC and the UAPA, and there are materials for framing charges under these provisions against the accused," the court said.
The court directed that Savad be produced and Shafeer, who is on bail, appear before it on May 15 for recording their pleas as part of the charge-framing process.
After framing the charges, the court will schedule the trial in the case.
