Mangaluru: Over 25 workers fall ill after suspected ammonia leak at fish processing unit
Mangaluru (Karnataka), Aug 1 (PTI): More than 25 workers reportedly fell ill following a suspected ammonia leak at a fish processing unit in the Baikampady Industrial Area near Surathkal here on Friday, police said.
The leak is suspected to have occurred in the early hours, possibly from the plant’s refrigeration system. Several workers complained of breathlessness, respiratory distress, and irritation and were rushed to nearby hospitals.
Most were discharged after receiving first aid, while a few remain under observation.
Mangaluru City Police and Fire and Emergency Services personnel brought the situation under control.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the leak and assess whether safety protocols were followed.
The Dakshina Kannada district health officer visited the site and reviewed the condition of the affected workers.
Preliminary reports suggest "no life-threatening injuries". A detailed inspection of the unit is underway.
The factory has been temporarily shut as a precaution, and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) is expected to conduct an environmental safety audit, a company official said.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
