HUBBALLI: An FIR has been lodged against Dharwad MP Pralhad Joshi for allegedly trying to disturb communal harmony and incite communal violence in Hubballi.

Mohammad Sab Jhopadi, a resident of Gousia Town in the city, registered an FIR at Kasabapet Police Station accusing Joshi of trying to disturb communal harmony and trying to incite riots.

The complainant alleged that Joshi, during his visit to slain Gurusiddappa Ambiger’s residence on Thursday, said that many mosques have illegally stored weapons. They added that statements like these can spread hate in society.

Joshi has been booked under sections 153 A (promoting enmity between religious groups) and 298 (uttering, words with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person) of the IPC and other relevant sections as well.

Condemning the MP’s statement, residents of Gousia Town had staged a flash protest in front of Kasabapet police station.

This led to action against the BJP MP for his derogatory remarks against mosques of Hubballi.

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Jaipur (PTI): The death toll in a tanker-fire incident in Rajasthan has gone up to 19 with another man succumbing to his severe burn injuries at the Sawai Man Singh (SMS) hospital here on Thursday.

SMS hospital superintendent Dr Sushil Bhati informed that one more death was recorded on Thursday, taking the total number of fatalities in the horrific incident to 19. "Currently, 11 people are undergoing treatment at the hospital," he said, adding that two or three of them are likely to be discharged on Thursday.

Lalaram (28), who died on Thursday, had 60-per cent burn injuries and was on a ventilator. Three more patients are on ventilator support. The body has been shifted to the hospital's mortuary for post-mortem. Lalaram's friend Ramavtar said the victim was a security guard in an IT company at the Mahindra SEZ. He was on his way to work on a motorcycle when he got trapped in the fire.

"He had a morning shift that day. He was a resident of Sanganer but had shifted to the Kanota area on the Agra highway sometime ago. He was on a motorcycle when the incident happened," Ramavtar said.

The victim was unmarried. Three people, who sustained injuries in the incident, died on Wednesday. An LPG tanker collided with a truck on December 20, sparking a massive fireball that turned a stretch of the Jaipur-Ajmer highway into an inferno. Eleven people had died on the day of the incident and four had succumbed to their injuries subsequently.